Category Archives: Holidays

MLK Jr. Holiday 65 Degrees in January

Spending some extended time in the sun today was good to get my mind off the shit show in DC. I was able to use my day off to work on plants and outdoor decor. I know the dogs appreciated the sun and warm outdoor furniture with me.

There’s a lot going on in this video. I was in the garden with the dogs today as we had 65-degree (F) weather in January! I’m proud of this globe I painted, which is on a solar spinner. It survived the fire and was previously located at “ground zero” where the fire reportedly began. Still no explanation except “electrical anomaly.”

By the way, that is NOT poop that Hobbes is chewing on. It’s pineapple or bark.

I worked on my plants, thinking about what I’ll do with them and the outdoor decor from this rental when I move back home in a few months. I think about the move back all my waking hours at this juncture.

I put together a very utilitarian table out of repurposed, broken parts, which I’m very proud of. I love practical furniture.

The dogs bring me such joy, as does the sun.

Enjoying the warm weather with the dogs and Shea and appreciating what a great man this holiday is in honor of. I’m not watching the travesty in DC and do not want anything to do with people who are normalizing it. I pity this country and rejoice that I can pursue my EU citizenship, even though I’ll stay and still do what I can, more on the local level in the foreseeable future, to make life better even for those innumerable fools who vote against their best interests.

I will actively seek to disconnect from fascists and I will also make it quite clear that they are no longer in my life, especially the ones I’m not related to and have no reason to stay connected to. There are enough toxic people in the world already that I have to deal with, and the political ramifications of their existence and corruption.

Bonnie and Calvin evening wrestle. This is why most people can’t believe Bonnie is completely blind. For those who don’t know, her eyes were surgically removed to reduce pain after she went completely blind in August.

Vallejo Gay Network Holiday Party 2024

Thanks to the fabulous Mark Kliem for hosting! After being deputized as the official photographer of the VGN holiday party, here are the results! Seeing people from various Bay Area counties like San Francisco, Marin, Alameda, Contra Costa and other parts of Solano County like Vacaville and Fairfield was wonderful. Our Vallejo Gay Network community and its allies have been a wonderful focal point for me since making the wise decision to move here.

Xmas morning at Sister’s

This was Shea’s first time meeting my brother-in-law. My niece and sister had stopped by months ago when my daughter was visiting from Florida.

Bonnie made herself at home in Rickie’s bed while Snoopy and Rickie played away.

My sister has some of the work my Zia Antonella from Catanzaro, Italy, painted at her house, so I photographed them. I had some of her paintings at my house which I lost in my January fire.

After a visit to Granite Bay, we made our way to Pittsburg to visit Shea’s family. Sadly we forgot to take pictures there.

Minimalist Xmas Decorations 2024

I’m displaying very minimalist (so unlike me) xmas decorations this year in the rental. I have these two ceramic trees that my mom hand-painted which survived the fire, but I’m already looking forward to decorating my home when I’m back for xmas 2025. A surprising amount of my holiday decorations survived the fire since the garage was relatively untouched, but I don’t even feel like transporting them over here.

Photos with Santa for Humane Society of the North Bay

This was very much worth flying back from Hawaii a little earlier! Shea and I took the redeye on Friday night and after a very brief rest I headed over. Shea joined me later. I wasn’t about to do something without my dogs, so I had them the entire time, even though Bonnie was her cranky self and startled a few folks. Fortunately, she’s harmless (but loud). Snoopy, on the other hand, was such a good ambassador, that he even was held by a stranger for her photos since she missed her late dog.

As you can see, once again we had families with kids, dogs, and without sitting with Santa and Mrs. Claus (Tom and Julie).

Thank you to Bill, America, Ted, Shea, and Sara for your contributions to these photos!

More pictures from that day from other people: